Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Toyota / Camry / October 2006

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

2007 Camry?

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
Denis_333@yahoo.com - 01 Oct 2006 02:29 GMT
Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.
johngdole@hotmail.com - 01 Oct 2006 02:48 GMT
About two months after its introduction reports surfaced that the
automatic transmission can skips gears. Not all of them do of course,
but I consider a tranny skipping gears a major problem. I don't buy
first year models for precisely things like this, and would wait to let
the bugs work their way out. .

> Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
> speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.
Robert F. Thomas - 15 Oct 2006 16:00 GMT
I have a motor home that I plan to take first to Florida from Michigan
and then out to the west for the winter with a tow dolly behind.  My
2004 Avalon is going to be towed on either a Master tow with surge
brakes or a Demco Kar caddy.  What do I do with the shift gears?  Do I
put it in park or do I leave it out of gear ?  Anything else?

ROBERT F. THOMAS

http://community.webtv.net/gator45/NAVIGATIONDEPTUSS
BigJim - 01 Oct 2006 05:48 GMT
I just bought an 07 Camry le and have had no problems with it.
No leaks, squeaks or transmission slippage. Now there is only 500 miles on
the car so I can't
give an account yet. It has the 4 cyl eng and great pick up. The only thing
is that it's so smooth
that you have to watch your speed on a highway, it will cruise at 80 mph so
the cruise control is a must to keep it at the posted speed.

> Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
> speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.
EdV - 01 Oct 2006 16:09 GMT
In my own opinion (based on 5,000 miles LE)
Positives
The way it looks. It's the latest body style. honda, nissan and hyundai
have not changed the exterior for awhile.
Aux-Input stereo system, great for mp3 players
great legroom
gas saver.... now that fuel prices are dropping. I wish I got the 6cyl
well priced

Negatives
power steering is not very soft
dont drive with only your rear windows open and the wind noise is
painful
I think cruise control performance is lousy and have strange
downshifts,
can't pull down the rearseats from the inside.

Overall, its a goodbuy and no regrets.
Daniel - 08 Oct 2006 14:39 GMT
> can't pull down the rearseats from the inside.
===============
They well may be locked from inside the trunk.
Check the Owner's manual, unlock them and try again.
EdV - 10 Oct 2006 08:50 GMT
They are locked from the inside of the trunk. To unlock you have to
open from the trunk. My daughter was used to putting her things on the
trunk and just folding down the rearseat. Now I have to stop and get
it. Maybe it's a safety feature for passengers to stay seated while the
car is in motion.

> > can't pull down the rearseats from the inside.
> ===============
> They well may be locked from inside the trunk.
> Check the Owner's manual, unlock them and try again.
David In NH - 01 Oct 2006 19:28 GMT
> Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
> speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.

I love my XLE and have had no problems at all with it. (Of course, I just
brought it home Friday night!)
mack - 02 Oct 2006 19:17 GMT
>> Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
>> speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.
>
> I love my XLE and have had no problems at all with it. (Of course, I just
> brought it home Friday night!)
Ha! That sounds like evaluating a first date over the first course at a
restaurant, or during the trailers preceding the movie.   Let us know how
you feel after six or eight months.........
BigJim - 02 Oct 2006 19:41 GMT
I will get back to the group but I don't expect any major problems.
It is under full warranty for 3 years.

>>> Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
>>> speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> restaurant, or during the trailers preceding the movie.   Let us know how
> you feel after six or eight months.........
David In NH - 02 Oct 2006 21:01 GMT
>>> Positives / Negatives regarding this car.  I know it's early.  I am
>>> speaking specifically about the Ce, but any information generally.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> restaurant, or during the trailers preceding the movie.   Let us know how
> you feel after six or eight months.........

Yeah, I know. As for evaluating the predecessor car (a '98 Camry LE): I
loved the car and was very happy with it. Didn't actually get rid of it.
It's now my son's car (college graduation present). And, at 159K Miles, it's
just broken in!
Russell - 04 Oct 2006 22:46 GMT
> I love my XLE and have had no problems at all with it. (Of course, I just
> brought it home Friday night!)

Is it the case that you can't get the XLE without the fake woodgrain trim?

Thanks,
R.
Stan Wright - 07 Oct 2006 22:24 GMT
How about trial by mileage, rather than time?  Bought my 4-cylinder
SE a month and a half ago and just hit 4,000 miles......Had a job
transfer and wouldn't have been able to afford my previous vehicle (V-10
4x4 Dodge).  I debated the four over the V-6 and let "common sense" and
the extra cost of the larger engine, and went with the four.  "Consumer
magazines" claimed that their tests showed a "real world" mileage
difference of only 1 mpg between the two, but that just doesn't make
sense to me (how can an additional 110 hp only account for 1 less mpg?).
I didn't want to finance the extra amount either (I was already stepping
up to this model as I had originally considered the Corolla for mileage
only), so 4-cylinder it was.
  80-85% of my mileage has been on the highway (none of the tanks
purely highway, however) and I have gotten between 27 and 30 mpg with a
relatively gentle toe on the gas pedal (72-73 in 70 mph zones on
cruise).  I had seriously hoped to be closer to the 33 mpg which the EPA
and Toyota has listed on the upper end of their scale on the sticker and
sales brochures.....Guess I have to stick to slower highways and drive
no more than the posted limit......
  I have a rattle/vibration in the dash above and to the left the
steerng wheel, one possibly in the lower front passenger door (might be
something in the map pocket--haven't checked yet, doesn't do it all the
time) and have noticed the downshifting from 5th to 4th at highway
speeds when the incline even gradually increases, but I figure that this
is just the overdrive and it doesn't seem annoying, and I probably
wouldn't have ever even noticed if it weren't for this site......
  Someone has mentioned the cloth wearing out on the driver's side
armrest--4,000 miles and mine still looks brand new.
  I love the body style and it gets lots of comments from passersby.
  I have noticed a somewhat annoying noise at the driver's window
whenever it rains--the rain hitting the window "frame" is
noticeable.....
  The car is quite comfortable, I haven't taken a trip longer than 3
hours in one uninterrupted trip yet, but will be in a month or so and am
not concerned about getting cramped up--wish I could've had the leather,
but the cloth looks good and this also saved a bunch.
   Even though I purchased this for mileage (and comfort, upgrading
from the planned Corolla), the SE package with the 17" wheels and
upgraded suspension package makes it handle like a dream (remember, my
comparison is from a 4x4 truck, so you may want to take this with a
grain of salt) and I can take my off-ramp from the freeway (which
crosses back over the freeway) faster than I feel comfortable with....
  Anyway, hopefully my ramblings have given you a good feeling about
the car--I also like the grill and dash on the SE better than the ones
on the other three models......I would definitely buy it again though I
would like to know what the V-6 truly gets in mileage......

  Stan
Don - 08 Oct 2006 18:05 GMT
I purchased the 6 cyl and my percentage of freeway driving (no
traffic) is running at 25mpg consistently.  My very first tank of gas
(from the dealer) yielded just above 30 mpg.  But I never drove above
65mph and that was almost entirely freeway.  I've been running on
premium.  The manual indicates that testing was done with premium gas.
But on the freeway I have to admit I do exceed 65 so that may be the
reason why my mileage dropped after that first tank.  I just can't
help thinking, though, that they put some kind of additive in the tank
to impress me with that first tank.  I've never come close to that 30
mpg mark since my first tank of gas.

My only complaint is the road and wind noise.  I was after a car that
was quiet.  This one isn't.  On a very smooth road at less than 50
mph, it is very quiet and smooth.  On the freeway, I have to really
crank up the volume on the radio to hear soft music.  I'm constantly
changing the volume between rock and light music.  And forget AM.  My
last vehicle had a telescoping antenna and AM was fine.  The Camry has
the antenna built into the windshield and the AM reception is
terrible.  But the radio is fine.  When I play CDs or my mp3 files, it
sounds fine.

Wind noise is very pronounced.  What makes it worse is that the source
comes right next to my ear.  I think it's caused by the small gap
between the door and the body at the tail end of the door directly
next to my left ear.

Smooth and quiet is what I was looking for.  When I first test drove
the car it was in another city where the roads were really terrible
and I was turned off immediately and started looking at other cars.
But then I gave it another try at another dealership and was
impressed.  But those roads were like silk and I only drove for a very
short period on the freeway  so I made the purchase.  I learned a
great lesson there.

By the way, the first dealer suggested I install DynaMat throughout
the car to quiet it.  So he wasn't even arguing the point regarding
noise.

But to be fair, I was looking for the smooth and quiet of a $40,000
car in a $20.000 car.  Overall, I'm happy with what I got for the
money.  But if I had the money, I would have gone for the more smooth
and quiet car.

Don

>   How about trial by mileage, rather than time?  Bought my 4-cylinder
>SE a month and a half ago and just hit 4,000 miles......Had a job
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>sales brochures.....Guess I have to stick to slower highways and drive
>no more than the posted limit.....

>   I have a rattle/vibration in the dash above and to the left the
>steerng wheel, one possibly in the lower front passenger door (might be
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
>  
sharx35 - 09 Oct 2006 05:11 GMT
>I purchased the 6 cyl and my percentage of freeway driving (no
> traffic) is running at 25mpg consistently.  My very first tank of gas
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
>
> Don

The Camry is, by far, the smoothest and quietest riding vehicle I have ever
been in. That covers over 60 years driving or a passenger in a motor
vehicle.

>>   How about trial by mileage, rather than time?  Bought my 4-cylinder
>>SE a month and a half ago and just hit 4,000 miles......Had a job
[quoted text clipped - 44 lines]
>>
>>   Stan
Daniel - 09 Oct 2006 18:17 GMT
> Wind noise is very pronounced.  What makes it worse is that the source
> comes right next to my ear.  I think it's caused by the small gap
> between the door and the body at the tail end of the door directly
> next to my left ear.
===================================
There shouldn't be any gap there.
See if a body shop can make the adjustment for you.
The secret was revealed to me once.
I saw the guy simply open the door and push inward on the upper back
corner hard enough to bend it in a little bit.
rmayer99@cox.net - 19 Oct 2006 20:44 GMT
> > Wind noise is very pronounced.  What makes it worse is that the source
> > comes right next to my ear.  I think it's caused by the small gap
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I saw the guy simply open the door and push inward on the upper back
> corner hard enough to bend it in a little bit.

Daniel,

I read with great appreciation your reply to "Don"  in the
alt.autos.toyota.camry forum about how to fix wind noise in the area of
the driver window. I have exactly the same symptom and after 5 trips to
the dealer I still have the problem. They replaced all of the flaps but
I think they missed what it sounds like you saw: that it's a problem
with the gap between the window itself and the body.

But before I try to duplicate what you described, could you be a bit
more specific? You said:

"...open the door and push inward on the upper back corner hard
enough to bend it in a little bit."

The upper back corner of exactly where....somewhere on the door or on
the body of the car itself?  I'm ready to push...just would like to
know exactly where!

Thanks,

Rob from Arizona
EdV - 19 Oct 2006 21:52 GMT
If possible, hope you can attach a photo of this gap so we can have a
better understanding.

On Oct 19, 12:44 pm, rmaye...@cox.net wrote:

> > > Wind noise is very pronounced.  What makes it worse is that the source
> > > comes right next to my ear.  I think it's caused by the small gap
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> Rob from Arizona
Daniel - 20 Oct 2006 00:33 GMT
> Daniel,
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> But before I try to duplicate what you described, could you be a bit
> more specific?
=============================
This was a number of years ago with a full size Cadillac. I had it in
the body shop because I was in a big rush and backed out of a parking
space into a concrete pillar denting the fender.
The owner of the body shop, made this alteration when I was picking up
the car. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
If I were doing this on a Camry, I would first take a narrow strip of
newspaper and lay it along the top of the door then close it and see if
there is looseness between the door frame and gasketing material.
All he did was hold the middle of the door and pull hard enough on the
top of the door to bend it inward slightly. Don't recall whether the
window was open or closed.
You might just ask an experienced body repair shop to look at this for
you.
Stan Wright - 31 Oct 2006 08:47 GMT
The price of synthetics is ridiculuous.  I've tried it in other
vehicles, along with using Slick 50, and neither made a world of
difference.  Driving habits make the most difference.

  Stan
ACAR - 17 Oct 2006 23:13 GMT
>    80-85% of my mileage has been on the highway (none of the tanks
> purely highway, however) and I have gotten between 27 and 30 mpg with a
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> sales brochures.....Guess I have to stick to slower highways and drive
> no more than the posted limit......

I've had luck getting better mpg with synthetic oil in cars with 4
cylinder engines. A switch to synthetic is easy and not too expensive
if you do your own oil changes. Otherwise, the least expensive way to
try synthetic is to buy the oil yourself (Mobil 1 Extended Performance
5W-30 will last at least 10,000 miles) at a WalMart and provide it to
your oil change place. Synthetic oil may get you that additional 10%
mpg. You get to weigh the costs of synthetic oil vs conventional oil
once you determine your mpg increase, if any, with synthetic.

YMMV
EdV - 31 Oct 2006 18:51 GMT
I am hesitant to use the synthetic oil, only because the oil is good
for 10,000 miles but the oil filter is good for only 5,000 miles(?) Are
there any high performance oil filters for synthetic oil or do you use
the same filter?.. thanks

> >    80-85% of my mileage has been on the highway (none of the tanks
> > purely highway, however) and I have gotten between 27 and 30 mpg with a
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> YMMV
mjc<DELETETHIS>13 - 31 Oct 2006 20:07 GMT
> I am hesitant to use the synthetic oil, only because the oil is good
> for 10,000 miles but the oil filter is good for only 5,000 miles(?) Are
> there any high performance oil filters for synthetic oil or do you use
> the same filter?.. thanks

   I've always used Honda or Toyota or PureOne filters with
synthetic. Mann is also good. Valvoline now has their own
house brand of premium filter as well. Just avoud brands like
Fram if you want to go long intervals between changes.

>>>   80-85% of my mileage has been on the highway (none of the tanks
>>>purely highway, however) and I have gotten between 27 and 30 mpg with a
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>>
>>YMMV
Mark A - 31 Oct 2006 23:32 GMT
>I am hesitant to use the synthetic oil, only because the oil is good
> for 10,000 miles but the oil filter is good for only 5,000 miles(?) Are
> there any high performance oil filters for synthetic oil or do you use
> the same filter?.. thanks

Mobil 1 makes a very good filter with an synthetic element. It retails for
about $11-$12.

Also, the Fram Extended Life filter has a synthetic-blend element. Don't
confuse this $10 Fram with the cheap $3 orange versions--they have little in
common.

You can get either of these at many autopart stores such as Advance Auto
Parts, Chief Auto Parts, etc.
 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.